Module code: CIVE5535M01

Module Title: Advance Wastewater Management © UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS

School of Civil Engineering Semester One 2018/2019

Exam instructions:
 A formula sheet is provided.
 Candidates are expected to make reasonable assumptions about any data
not provided in the questions. In such cases, any assumed information must
be stated clearly in the answers provided

Calculator instructions:
 You are allowed to use a nonprogrammable calculator

Dictionary instructions:
 You are not allowed to use your own dictionary in this exam, a basic English
language dictionary is available to use, raise your hand and ask an invigilator,
if you need it.

Exam information:
 There are 5 pages to this exam including a formula sheet.
 There will be 2 hours to complete this exam.
 You should attempt three questions.

Marking
 This exam is worth 70% of the overall module mark.
 All questions are worth equal marks.
 All marks are provided.

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Module code: CIVE5535M01

1. (a) Wastewater systems are designed to handle stormwater to minimise

operating costs and the impact on the receiving waters. Using a
schematic indicate how the high flows in times of storm are dealt with
both in the sewer system and at the treatment plant, referring to any
flow diversions based on dry weather flow (DWF).

What is the role of the storm tanks in relation to storm water arriving at
the wastewater treatment plant?
[18 marks]

(b) Describe the main function of the primary sedimentation tank at a

wastewater treatment plant. Provide a sketch showing the key features
and outline how you would calculate the surface area and the storage
volume based on only knowing the design population.
[15 marks]

2. A farmer is permitted to discharge 15,000 m 3/d of partially treated

wastewater with an average BOD5 of 40 mg/l and a dissolve oxygen content
of 0.9 mg/l. The river upstream of the discharge point has an average flow
rate of 10 m3/s, a BOD5 of 3 mg/l and a dissolved oxygen concentration of 9
mg/l. The saturation concentration of dissolved oxygen in the river is 10.5
mg/l. The river temperature is the same as that of the proposed discharge.

(a) Determine the BOD5 and the dissolved oxygen concentration of the
river after the farm effluent is mixed in.
[12 marks]

(b) Another input is planned 12 hours downstream of this input, what is the
dissolved oxygen concentration just upstream of this planned input?
Given that the deaeration rate (k1) and the reaeration rate (k2) in the
river are 0.2 /d and 0.5 /d respectively and the river temperature
remains unchanged. (Note: the BOD5 rate constant at 20°C is 0.23 /d).
[12 marks]

(c) What is the BOD5 of the river just upstream of the planned new input?
[9 marks]

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Module code: CIVE5535M01
3. (a) Describe how BOD and nitrogen are removed in a conventional activated
sludge process and with the aid of a diagram indicate where in the reactor
each reaction occurs.
[15 marks]

(b) A wastewater treatment plant was designed with an influent flow of

3,300m3/d from a town with a population of 12,500. The activated
sludge system comprises of an anoxic zone of 257m 3 followed by four
aerobic tanks in series each with a volume of 345m3. The plant was
built in 1995 and is now required to deal with a 10% increase in
domestic wastewater flow together with 2,000m 3/d from an industrial
facility.

(i) Calculate the hydraulic retention time of the existing activated

sludge system including the extra domestic and industrial
wastewater flow to determine whether it can provide a hydraulic
retention time within the 9-12 hours required for a fully nitrifying
plant.
[4 marks]

(ii) Calculate the reactor volume required to treat the higher influent
flow to achieve a hydraulic retention time of 11 hours
[4 marks]

(iii) Calculate the F/M ratio of the existing plant assuming a BOD
production rate of 55g/person/day for the domestic element and a BOD
concentration of 270mg/l for the industrial wastewater with an MLSS of
3000mg/l to check if it falls within the optimum range for a fully nitrifying
plant of 0.08 – 0.15. Assume that the primary sedimentation tanks will
remove 30% of the influent BOD
[6 marks]

(iv) Calculate the new F/M ratio of the activated sludge system based on
the new reactor volume calculated in (ii) to check if the F/M ratio of the
new system falls within the optimum range.
[4 marks]

(v) Calculate the volumetric loading rate of the new system to

determine if it falls within the optimum range of between 0.3 – 1.6
kg BOD/m3/d
[4 marks]

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Module code: CIVE5535M01

4. (a) Briefly describe the three main types of aeration devices that can be
used in an activated sludge plant and the advantages and
disadvantages of each
[10 marks]

(b) Briefly describe the two-film theory to explain the transfer of oxygen
from the atmosphere into a liquid and outline the important role that k La
plays in the application of this theory to the design of aerations systems
[10 marks]

(c) Calculate the total oxygen demand into sewage for a plant that receives
an influent with 200mg/l BOD at a flow rate of 18,500 m3/d and has to
achieve an effluent BOD consent standard of 15mg/l. The plant is
operated at an MLSS of 3,500mg/l and a hydraulic retention time of 9
hours.
[7 marks]

(d) According to the manufacturer the diffuse aerators you have chosen
have a kLa into clean water of 0.23/h and the maximum saturated
oxygen concentration (Cs) has been measured at 11.2 mg/l. What is the
oxygenation capacity of the aerators and how many will be needed if
the wastewater has an alpha factor of 0.9 and a beta factor of 0.85 and
the aerators are intended to maintain a dissolved oxygen concentration
(C) of 1.8 mg/l.
[6 marks]

5. (a) What are the benefits of using anaerobic ponds in a wastewater

stabilisation (WSP) systems?
[15 marks]

(b) What are the potential sources of odour from anaerobic ponds, and
how can odour be controlled?
[18 marks]

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Module code: CIVE5535M01

Formula Sheet

 5.25 x 10 4 XV 
TOD  0.0864 Q 0.75 So  S e   
 Q 

BODt = Lo(1 – e-k.t)

Page 5 of 5 END